massive resistance

Cultural  

1. The opposition of many white leaders in the South to the decision of the Supreme Court in Brown versus Board of Education in 1954. The Court had declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The expression massive resistance was used in a letter signed by over a hundred members of Congress, calling on southerners to defy the Supreme Court's ruling.

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Example Sentences

It is different, but perhaps the closest analog might be so-called "massive resistance" in the South and some other parts of the United States to the mandate of Brown v.

From Salon

The six-part series speaks to the power of regular people banding together in whatever way they can to create massive resistance to injustice.

From Salon

Malnati said there was “massive resistance” to Saudi involvement because of the surprise June 6 announcement — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, with board members Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne — were the only ones involved.

From Seattle Times

Elliot Mincberg, senior counsel at Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, said the legal drama was a "classic example" of "massive resistance", a term coined in the 1950s to describe how southern states resisted court orders to desegregate.

From BBC

"It became known under the term massive resistance of just resisting everything that the federal courts ordered no matter what, and trying to retain the old system," Mr Mincberg said.

From BBC